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Sunday, May 14, 2017

Colorado HS Semifinals: East v Jesuit

Rugby Colorado:
Semifinals of State, Premier Division

Denver East High Angels v
Regis Jesuit Raiders

Warm with a
gusting, crossfield blow at Dick’s Rugby Sports Grounds Field #18 for the first
Premier Division semifinal that featured last year’s finalists, Angels and
Raiders, on Saturday afternoon. Regis
were looking to maintain their quest for the Rugby Colorado Premier Division (RCPD)
double, while the East Avenging Angels sought redress of last season’s RCDP
title match loss, and aimed to book a berth in next week’s championship.

Opening stages saw the Raiders implement the pick-and-go from
breakdown in brief gains, while Angels spread the field wide with swift service
by scrumhalf Theo Bennett and canny distribution by the pivot, Sam Adix, to his
hungry three-quartersline. Adix’ mixture of movements, lengthy skip-passes
interspersed with inside switches and querying kicks, meant pulsing pressure constantly
as East tested the Jesuit defensive resolve.

Denver opened scoring after their lineout leaper collected
ball and Bennett’s sling to Adix was followed by the standoff’s pass, which put
streaking fullback Luke Neureiter through the crease for 15 meters and the
touch down that, along with wing Max Gottesfeld’s conversion, made it 7-0 in
the seventh minute.

East extended the lead to a dozen when backrow lock Kilauea
Tora burst into space and Regis territory to set flyer Blake Pullen free for
his try in minute 13.

Outside center Holden Kjerland-Nicoletti began and ended the
next Angels scoring drive as he broke a tackle at his own ten-meter line on the
eastern sideline and set the sweep across the pitch that brought action into the
Raiders business district, 10 meters from goal. Possession maintained at breakdown
and distribution to Kjerland-Nicoletti, who powered into goal for a 17-0 scoreline
after 17 ticks off referee Tom Coburn’s timepiece.

Regis were into East territory with a lineout 30 meters from
goal. That set piece won and carried to breakdown, an inside offload proved
successful and Raiders were on the march and mauling steady before knock-on at contact
reversed possession.

The Jesuit got onboard near time in the half when the
Raiders 8man gathered the pill from the loose piece, fended off a would-be
stopper, and angled into goal on the arcing sweeper to touch down; 17-5 for Denver
East as Coburn whistled up the midpoint break.

Raiders opened the second stanza strong, turning ball over
and bringing action to the Denver 22 before a penalty by Angels at breakdown afforded
the opportunity for the three-pointer. The Jesuit numbers man struck a shot
that drifted wide in the wind.

Angels immediately back on the front foot as the pack took a
Jesuit scrum-put against its head and inside center, Yanni Stavropoulos, broke
to space and fed Adix, who made 20 meters before offloading to Kjerland-Nicoletti,
who finished fifteen fast for five and it was 22-5 seven minutes into the
second stanza.

Adix began hoisting the Garryowen and booming the long
rangers that the back-three defenders were unable to collect on the fly, which
allowed East chasers to contain and win precious front-foot turnover ball inside
Regis territory.

The Denver forwards began to establish their presence,
poaching a pair of lineouts and shoving the Raiders pack off the ball at the
set scrum, winning thrice against the head in the last half.

East advanced over the 50 via a Tora straight slicer to the
Raiders 22 before the 8man handed off to Adix, who wove a wavy loping transit
to goal and his grounding made it 27-5 in the 15th minute of the
second half.

Bit of an aerial battle as lofts between the 22s were
gathered and hoisted back and forth. A long range strike by the Jesuit ran to
goal and was brought out by Denver for the 22 drop. East collected that re-start and flyer Pullen
was set to burn the touchline for 50 and the corner try that made tallies of 32
and 5 just into the last 10 minutes.

Angels would touch down a last try through Tora, who’d been
cracking all day long, and Denver added a final three points by Neureiter with
a sticksplitter that made for the result of 40-5 for East at Coburn’s last
blast.